Gophers make a commitment to diversity in the search for Tim Brewster's replacement

Listen to Bob Sansevere, Gophers beat reporter Marcus Fuller and sports editor V. John Pluym discuss some head coach possibilities for the Gophers.

Joel Maturi said he came close to hiring the University of Minnesota's first black football coach three years ago, when then-Florida defensive coordinator Charlie Strong and Tim Brewster were finalists.

The Gophers athletics director chose Brewster, allowed him to compile a 15-30 record, then fired him earlier this month. But people who believe Strong didn't get a fair shot and was a token finalist because he is black, Maturi said, were "extremely misjudging our efforts."

"I think we've always been committed to diversity," Maturi said. "But I didn't hire (basketball coach) Tubby Smith because he's black. I hired him because he was the best candidate that was available. We're going to follow the same process here as we look for the best football coach.

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If the Gophers hire a black head football coach this time, it still would be a landmark choice. They have never done it in the program's 128-year history.

The Big Ten has not had a black football coach since 2002, and Minnesota would be the rare major university with black head coaches in both men's basketball and football. Today, there are only two at Football Bowl Subdivision/Division I-A basketball schools: Miami (Florida), with Randy Shannon in football and Frank Haith in basketball; and Eastern Michigan (Ron English in football and Charles Ramsey in basketball).

On the same Sunday that Brewster was fired, Maturi identified former Indianapolis Colts coach and U alumnus Tony Dungy, the first black coach to win a Super Bowl, as his dream candidate, saying Dungy agreed only to be involved with the search for a new coach.

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Maturi then turned to the Black Coaches and Administrators organization for a list of the nation's top minority coaches.

"In the case of Minnesota, actually that Monday following the announcement we were contacted by Mr. Maturi," BCA executive director Floyd Keith said, adding that Maturi was doing his due diligence by asking immediately for his organization's — and Dungy's — help. "But we'll evaluate that process after it's completed.

Houston coach Kevin Sumlin (Associated Press)

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Maturi has vowed not to talk about candidates to replace Brewster, but among the black coaches who could be considered are Houston's Kevin Sumlin, Vikings defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier and even Shannon, who is 26-19 in four seasons with the Hurricanes but could be an option if he continues to lose support in Miami.

The Gophers AD has said he prefers someone who understands Minnesota, both the state and the school, but doesn't necessarily have to be from Minnesota. Sumlin is a former Gophers assistant (1993-97) who played in the Big Ten as a Purdue linebacker. Dungy also suggested Frazier for the Gophers job in 2007.

There are a record 13 black head coaches among the 120 Football Bowl Subdivision teams this season, including seven coaches in their first year at their respective schools. There was only one black coach (Shannon) among the 65 teams in the six major conferences (Big Ten, SEC, Pac 10, ACC, Big 12, Big East) in 2009, but now there are five.

Strong, who is 4-3 in his first season at Louisville, became the Big East's first black head coach this year. Kentucky's Joker Phillips became the Southeastern Conference's second, following former Mississippi State coach Sylvester Croom. Kansas' Turner Gill and Virginia's Mike London became the first black football coaches at their schools.

Although there has been progress, the percentage of black FBS head coaches today (11 percent) hardly matches the 46 percent of black players in the FBS, according to a 2009 BCA report.

"I think we need more high-level coaches in Division I-A sports who have been ex-athletes and come from minority cultural backgrounds," University of Minnesota President Bob Bruininks said. "We ought to give that a real shot. I don't think it's the only determinant. But it should definitely be in the equation."

Gophers associate athletics director Leo Lewis said he helped Maturi during the last football coaching search and that Maturi assured him there would be minority representation on the search committee and in the hiring process this time.

"Tony Dungy is involved, and so are others," said Lewis, the only black member of the Gophers' senior athletic administrative staff. "I was included previously in one coach's recruitment process, and that was with Charlie Strong."

Dungy has been a strong advocate for advancing the opportunities for minority coaches. Maturi said his help in the process would make it easier to gauge the interest of some top coaches, black or white.

"Tony Dungy has the ability to find out who is truly interested and who is not," Maturi said. "Tony Dungy has the ability to identify who he believes have qualities that fit Minnesota. When the time comes, whether it's a minority candidate or somebody else, I think Tony has the ability to tell the coach Minnesota is a good destination for you."

The Big Ten has had only three black football coaches: former Vikings coach Denny Green (1981-85) and Francis Peay (1986-91) at Northwestern and Bobby Williams (1999-2002) at Michigan State.

"Someday it will happen," Maturi said about the Big Ten having another black football coach, "whether it's here at the University of Minnesota or another institution."

If the Gophers were to hire a black football coach this time, junior defensive tackle Brandon Kirksey said, "it would be big for a lot of the guys" on the team. He said it would show the university was looking out for the interests of many of the players.

"It would probably be better for some of the players that are here and help with recruiting in the future to have a black coach," Kirksey said. "It does a great deal of things. It shows change. It shows that the university is open to (giving) the opportunity.

"But at the end of the day, it all comes down to: Is he a good coach, does he care about us and can we win some games?"